VibeRotation 27

We've been sitting on a lot of good music, tracks for the pregame, the club, the ride home, and the morning after. Listen to the new VibeRotation playlist from start to finish or pick around our selections. Find a roundup of some songs by Pittsburgh artists like rappers Linwood and Mikey P, as well as songstress Sierra Sellers. Trap-star Reese Youngn has a heater in "Microwave." The hometown hero Wiz Khalifa teamed up with Ugly God for a " No Lies" track thats gains national attention. Be turnt to "Bodak Yellow," "Plain Jane," and "Jugg," a trio of songs that provide the most energy.

Enjoy three hours of new music for the three colorways of ITR T-shirts we are soon to release.

Pet Zebra - Ferris Wheel

Today is history for Pet Zebra, a fun rapper from Pittsburgh, as he celebrates his birthday and the release of his new album.

Zebra spent the weekend hyping his "Ferris Wheel" project with his fellow rap friends The Company Only, Fat Corey, Pk Delay, Seas, and Slicky Williams. They engaged a loyal audience for the album's listening party at the Social Status streetwear boutique on Saturday, August 5. Notable hip-hop artists showed up in support, like Jiggy and Heem of The Knuccleheadz and producer Bill$up. Pet Zebra stood on the sneaker display case and performed "Ferris Wheel." When he played his new song "Plexico," people in the shop gave the stank face. The beat bops and Zebra's lyrics hit on comedic nostalgia, "Bring them straps to New York like I'm Plexico," he says in the hook.

After the listening party, Pet Zebra and his mates brought glitz to Pop Style, a party at The Brillobox for contemporary hip-hop run by Cody Baker and DJs Pete Butta and Preslav. The crowd was jumpin' when "Plexico" came on. Pet Zebra rocked his brief set, and his presence placed attention on the new album. Before he left he played a cool jam in "Dads Benz."

Officially, "Ferris Wheel" is out now, August 6. People can stream the album on iTunes here and keep up with Pet Zebra on his SoundCloud. Wish him a happy birthday on Twitter if you're real.

DJ Motormane - The Novice Tape

DJ Motormane photograph by Xavier Thomas of Art Like Us

In Pittsburgh, the music is rockin'. Rising stars like Jimmy Wopo find their footing and the underground hip-hop scene grows every day in front of lit audiences.

DJ Motormane, a legend in the 'Burgh thanks to Taylor Gang company and most recently his Burgh Boyz podcast with DJ Spillz, gives local music talent the shine it deserves. The DJ compiled a seven-track mixtape of hits. "The Novice Tape" introduces the city to artists worth listening to and keeping up with. Enjoy new hip-hop such as "For Nothin," a Choo Jackson and Pk Delay (congratulate dad on signing a deal) track, and "Westbrook," fresh Jimmy Wopo. Other notable musicians working in Pittsburgh and beyond feature on the project. Hear Sledgren beats and Cleveland native Shawn K lyrics. Atlanta rapper Carby has a banger in "All If I Wanna." Altogether, thank Motormane for his executive production on "The Novice Tape."

P.S. "Do The Same" smacks.

Reviving Real's Mix for the 'Burgh

Illustrations by Yung Mulatto

In an effort to connect the artistic communities of Pittsburgh's "big city small town," Reviving Real, a local clothing brand and collaborative platform, releases a music mix to showcase the city's thriving musical talent. The tape features unreleased music from underground champions who are bound to get the recognition they deserve. Reviving Real gives the artists on the mix momentum and exposure to grow the artists' audiences in the 'burgh and beyond. Also, "VOL 1" by R.R. diversifies the clothing label's content.

Additionally, music producer, cartoonist, and visual artist Yung Mulatto designed the cover art for Reviving Real's mix. To date, Mulatto is responsible for the artwork for several different projects. Most recently he helped young local rapper Blackboi with an interstellar doodle for his "ASTRO O2" album, a record about love and an end to Earth.  "Cover art is the visual connection with music. [You] can't see sound," Yung Mulatto says. His drawing, a style that takes cues from Danny Phantom and anime, provides creative direction for much of Pittsburgh's hip-hop scene. He says to look out for work with Benji, a rapper with a great live presence and band. Listeners can hear both Blackboi and Benji on the mix.

Moving forward, pay attention to the effort Reviving Real put forth as they support the music community in the Steel City. Watch for your ears because the mix they put together is entertaining thanks to the aforementioned characters and more like Mars Jackson, Isaiah Small, and James Perry. Peep the tracklist and do your research on the musicians.

Sounds of D.C. Playlist

The music scene in Washington, D.C. as well as its surrounding areas in Maryland and Virginia, is diverse with different grooves and experimental sounds blurring genre lines.  Over the last several months, these sounds have been on display at numerous events and venues around the District.  InTheRough has documented some of these experiences, like Frankliin's set at D.C. Funk Parade in early May or performances by Alex Vaughn and Meche Krorrect for the Glow End Theory Program at Black Cat.  There are shows three and four days out of the week put on by art and music collectives within the creative community.  Scroll through the Instagram feeds of Medium Rare, Bombay Knox, CMPVTR CLVB, and DCDIT to find show posters from 2014.

From Go-go and jazz to punk rock and indie-dance, the genres of the District have always been "amazing unto themselves," said Marcus Dowling, chronicler of capital culture for publications including the Washington City Paper, Vice and Complex.  The Sounds of D.C. playlist captures a number of the contemporary sounds and artists that are influenced by the rich, musical heritage of Washington, D.C. Listeners will understand the collaborative element to much of the music that is produced in the DMV through tracks like "Devil's Red Dress"--a true rock ballad assembled by Dreamcast and Fat Kneel.  

GoldLink and Fat Trel are DMV artists who have found commercial success.  They continue to promote the budding talent and sounds with their respective tracks "Rough Soul," which features April George of April & Vista, and a Trel track, "IN MY BAG," that's anchored by forefather Wale.  Of course the lineformation family is present in this playlist, especially Tedy Brewski who's purportedly working on new music.  But pay attention to rappers Nappy Nappa and Sir E.U who are headed to London for the first time.

Listen to the playlist above and if you like what you hear, be sure to keep exploring new music by clicking on the artists' profiles.